updated 10:25 am EDT, Mon October 27, 2008

RED Epic Scarlet Updates

Greater-than-HD camera maker RED will unveil a major new direction for its upcoming Epic and Scarlet cameras on November 13th, company chief Jim Jannard says in a new update on the company's strategy. While not detailing the changes, the executive describes the new programs for the video cameras as "incredible" and believes many will call the changes a "scam" based on the capabilities of the new models.

"Call this hype... please," Jannard says.

The Epic and Scarlet were first introduced in April as 5K- and 3K-resolution video cameras respectively and were both pitched as bringing normally very costly performance to reasonable levels, with the Scarlet costing the same $3,000 as many entry-level pro or semi-pro cameras. However, RED last month scrapped the Scarlet design and said it would be substantially improved by the time it releases in 2009.

The company has lately expressed interest in building a DSLR and may have gained support for this approach with the release of the Canon EOS-5D Mark II, which records 1080p video as well as 21-megapixel still shots.

How can you say that something has been "introduced" when it has never been demonstrated even as a prototype and all that exists is a CG rendered image on a website that's seriously short on facts. Just look up the FAQ page and look at the answer to the "Who makes our lenses?" question. These guys are highly skilled in not giving direct answers to direct questions. Maybe Jennard should run for the Whitehouse!